Diversity and Inclusion

In collaboration with Ogletree Deakins, the ACC-SoCal Diversity and Inclusion committee is excited to launch a series of web-based programs centered on racial justice and reform. The series will provide our members the opportunity to hear from prominent leaders in the Civil Rights Movement and promote understanding, dialogue, and practical tools for creating change in our organizations and communities.

Please join us at 10 a.m.. Tuesday, August 25th, for an encore of this program with an interview of iconic civil rights leader Reverend James Lawson, who will share his insights on the current racial justice movement and what corporate counsel can do to support it.

Diversity Trailblazers

Hear from the visionaries and the leaders that are making great strides to foster inclusion in the workplace. This candid discussion will take a close look at the various diversity plans and programs being implemented within each company. The panelists will share some of the challenges that they have faced, as well as positive outcomes that have resulted because of their efforts.

Speakers:

Ann Jenrette Thomas, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer of Stinson LLP

Anne Benedict, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Secretary at Summit Materials and Chair of MCCA's N-Gen Advisory Board 

Angela Petrucci, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of National Bank Holdings Corporation

Miko Brown, Associate General Counsel, Trust & Safety, Airbnb, Inc.

Sara Scott, Chief Executive Officer of Center for Legal Inclusiveness

Moderated by: Deborah Bayles, Partner at Stinson LLP

The combination of COVID-19 and the burgeoning racial justice movement has focused substantial attention on questions about discrimination in the workplace.

Please join us for a discussion on the unprecedented legal landscape facing employers at the intersection of these defining issues, and thoughts on how to prepare for and confront them. During this webinar our panelists will cover:

• Current trends in employment litigation.
• Strategies to mitigate the unique litigation risk presented by this moment.
• Considerations for proactive, effective, and compliant diversity and inclusion initiatives.

The presentation will be followed by a brief Q&A.

Please join King & Spalding and ACC Georgia for the 11th Annual CLE Jamboree. This two day event provides hours of CLE programming and is specifically designed for you as an in-house attorney. Our registration format allows you to customize your program schedule to fit your needs by choosing from the hours of programming offered.

Please register for each of the below sessions you wish to attend by following the below instructions:

1. Please register for each of the below sessions you wish to attend by following the below instructions:
2. Click on a session you would like to attend and add to cart (make sure to only register for a session once)
3. Press the return arrow at the top left side of the screen
4. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each session you would like to attend
5. Checkout of the cart once you have added your last session
6. Login— ACC Members should use their ACC.com credentials; non-members should select Create an Account
   • Non-Members go through all steps to create an account
7. After login, you will be brought back to your cart
8. Check all information before clicking finish checkout button

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

**You are welcome to attend any session during the conference.

PROGRAM SESSIONS

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7

A (Virtual) Armchair Discussion with Sally Yates (9:00 A.M. – 9:45 A.M.)    

Hot Topics in Corporate Law (10:00 A.M. – 10:45 A.M.)

The State of Georgia is in Play (11:00 A.M. – 11:45 A.M.)

The 2020 Elections:  What to Expect When the Dust Settles? (12:00 P.M. – 1:00 P.M.)

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8

A (Virtual) Armchair Discussion with Rod Rosenstein (9:00 A.M. – 9:45 A.M.)

General Counsel Panel (10:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.)

Diversity and Inclusion: Emerging Trends and Issues; Social Justice (11:10 A.M. – 12:10 P.M.)

Working the Cyber Beat in an Election Year (12:20 P.M. – 1:05 P.M.)

After the Election: Preparing for a World of Changing Threats, Technology, and Risks (1:15 P.M. – 2:00 P.M.)

Please stay for trivia, games and prizes immediately following!

Join us for an engaging, practical roundtable discussion designed for in-house counsel.

The Diversity & Inclusion Committee together with the Membership Committee will host a Book Discussion on White Fragility: Why It Is So Hard For White People to Talk About Race by Robin DiAngelo.  All Members are encouraged to read the book and/or read, watch or listen to materials in the attached resource list, and participate in the discussion. 

In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.
 
About the Author:
Dr. Robin DiAngelo is an academic, lecturer, and author and has been a consultant and trainer on issues of racial and social justice for more than twenty years. She formerly served as a tenured professor of multicultural education at Westfield State University. In 2011, DiAngelo coined the term White Fragility in an academic article which influenced the international dialogue on race. My book, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism was released in June of 2018 and debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List where it remained for 85 weeks.

Many of us have encountered roadblocks to discussing racial justice within majority white offices and communities. In her book, DiAngelo provides language to understand the various reactions that white people have when race is discussed.

“White Fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium” says DiAngelo.

Resource List from Robin DiAngelo’s website

Twenty-minute video with DiAngelo 

Video from DiAngelo’s book launch in 2018

Anyone can join the video chat. We ask that you register for free to ensure that we have the bandwidth for the call.  It's important now more than ever to stay connected, learn and continue the discussion!

Utilize your favorite resource to purchase the book or listen to the recordings and then join the discussion with ACC St. Louis and ACC Mid America Chapters on Tuesday, August 25th at 4:00 p.m.  

Many employers are focusing on diversity and inclusion in the workplace and implementing programs to achieve these goals. However, there are some legal challenges to be aware of. When do hiring goals become illegal affirmative action? What should and can an employer do about insensitive comments on an employee’s personal social media account? We will discuss these and other legal related issues. 

Presenter: Christina M. Jepson, Diversity & Inclusion Director - Shareholder, Parsons Behle & Latimer

Gain an understanding of best - and next - practices that are responsive to the current realities of workplace interactions.

About this Event

Join ACC TN and Littler for a One-Hour General Credit FREE CLE

Diversity at Work: Fortifying Your Inclusion Efforts in the Current Climate

The past few weeks have presented multiple and overlapping hardships for organizations – and their members – as a result of nation-wide protests and civil unrest related to the most recent and alarming rash of deaths of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement. With the fallout from an-already devastating pandemic’s glaringly disproportionate effects on black and brown communities coupled with these recent tragic events, organizations - including law firms and corporate law departments - throughout America are taking pause. They want to know what more can they do to fortify their pledge to creating diverse and inclusive work environments, how can they help to disrupt the inherent and institutionalized biases that continue to contribute to these experiences, and how they can best respond to, support, and/or protect themselves from both the positive and negative activism that may be affecting their business.

In offering best - and next - practices that are responsive to the current realities of workplace interactions, we will draw upon any lessons learned so far, and provide an overview of some of the business and diversity trends that leaders in the profession should anticipate for 2020 and beyond.

CLE credit is approved in the following states: CA, GA, IL, NV, NY, PA, TN, TX, and WA. Please log on a few minutes before the program to enter your CLE information.